Processing connection request in online service

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a system and method for processing a connection request in an online service by a server corresponding to the online service. A connection request message that originates from a personalized account for a first user is sent to a personalized account for a second user and a certain threshold of access to posts related to the personalized account for the first user is provided to the personalized account for the second user for a certain period of time. An access to the posts related to the personalized account for the first user is otherwise accorded to authorized contacts of the personalized account for the first user on the online service.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation Application under 35 U.S.C. § 120 ofU.S. application Ser. No. 13/701,324, filed on Nov. 30, 2012, issued asU.S. Pat. No. 9,331,966 on May 3, 2016, which is a U.S. National Stagefiling under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No.PCT/US12/45748, filed on Jul. 6, 2012. The disclosures of both the U.S.National Stage Application and the International Application are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Online services allow a user to send a connection request to a seconduser. If the second user accepts the connection request, the user whosent the connection request and the second user who accepted the requestbecome authorized contacts relative to the online services.

SUMMARY

According to one example, a method for processing a connection requestin an online service by a server corresponding to the online service isprovided. A connection request message that originates from apersonalized account for a first user is sent to a personalized accountfor a second user. A certain threshold of access to posts related to thepersonalized account for the first user is provided to the personalizedaccount for the second user for a certain period of time. Access to theposts related to the personalized account for the first user isotherwise accorded to authorized contacts of the personalized accountfor the first user on the online service.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be inany way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments,and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and featureswill become apparent by reference to the drawings and the followingdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In the detailed description that follows, embodiments are described asillustrations since various changes and modifications will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription. The use of the same reference numbers in different figuresindicates similar or identical items.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a system for sendinga connection request message from a first user to a second user via anonline service server regarding an online service, arranged inaccordance with at least some embodiments described in the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method forprocessing a connection request message by an online service server,arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described in thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a processing flow forprocessing a connection request message, arranged in accordance with atleast some embodiments described in the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A through 4C show timelines, each of which illustrates an exampleof a certain period of time to provide posts related to a first user toa second user, arranged in accordance with at least some embodimentsdescribed in the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an example of an online service server,arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described in thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device thatis configured for processing a connection request in an online service,arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described in thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to one example, a method for processing a connection requestin an online service by a server corresponding to the online service isprovided. A connection request message that originates from apersonalized account for a first user is sent to a personalized accountfor a second user. The connection request message may include a friendrequest message.

Accordingly, a certain threshold of access to posts related to thepersonalized account for the first user is provided to the personalizedaccount for the second user for a certain period of time. The certainperiod of time may start when the connection request message is verifiedas having been received on the personalized account for the second user,when the posts related to the personalized account for the first userare verified as having been accessed on the personalized account for thesecond user, or when the connection request message is sent to thepersonalized account for the second user. Further, the certain period oftime may extend from minutes to weeks.

Access to the posts related to the personalized account for the firstuser is otherwise accorded to authorized contacts of the personalizedaccount for the first user on the online service.

It may be determined that the connection request message has not beenaccepted on the personalized account for the second user before thecertain period of time has elapsed, and therefore the access to thecertain threshold of posts related to the personalized account for thefirst user to the personalized account for the second user isdiscontinued upon lapse of the certain period of time.

In another example, a system for processing a connection request in anonline service includes a processor-based device. The processor-baseddevice is configured to send a connection request message thatoriginates from a personalized account for a first user to apersonalized account for a second user, and to then provide a certainthreshold of access to posts related to the personalized account for thefirst user to the personalized account for the second user for a certainperiod of time. That is, after receiving the connection request butbefore accepting or authorizing the connection request, the personalizedaccount of the second user is given a less-than-full level of access toposts related to the personalized account of the first user. Full orcustomized access to the posts related to the personalized account forthe first user is otherwise accorded to authorized contacts of thepersonalized account for the first user on the online service.

The processor-based device may be further configured to determine thatthe connection request message has not been accepted on the personalizedaccount for the second user before the certain period of time haselapsed, and to consequently discontinue providing the certain thresholdof access to the posts related to the personalized account for the firstuser to the personalized account for the second user.

In yet another example, a computer-readable medium can store a pluralityof computer-executable instructions executed by a processor-baseddevice. The plurality of computer-executable instructions can includeone or more computer-executable instructions for allowing theprocessor-based device to send a connection request message thatoriginates from a personalized account for a first user to apersonalized account for a second user, and one or morecomputer-executable instructions for allowing the processor-based deviceto provide a certain threshold of access to posts related to thepersonalized account for the first user to the personalized account forthe second user for a certain period of time. Fuller or customizedaccess to the posts related to the personalized account for the firstuser is otherwise accorded to authorized contacts of the personalizedaccount for the first user on the online service.

The plurality of computer-executable instructions may further includeone or more computer-executable instructions for allowing theprocessor-based device to determine that the connection request messagehas not been accepted on the personalized account for the second userbefore the certain period of time has elapsed, and one or morecomputer-executable instructions for allowing the processor-based deviceto discontinue providing the certain threshold of access to the postsrelated to the personalized account for the first user to thepersonalized account for the second user.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings,similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless contextdictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in thedetailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting.Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made,without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matterpresented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of thepresent disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated inthe Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, anddesigned in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which areexplicitly contemplated herein.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a system for sendinga connection request message from a first user to a second user via anonline service server regarding an online service, arranged inaccordance with some of the embodiments described in the presentdisclosure. The system includes various components that are part of afirst user 10, a second user 20, and an online service server 30.However, the system is not limited to such components, as obviousmodifications may be made by eliminating at least one of the components,adding further components, substituting components, or even havingvarious components performing roles accorded to other components in thefollowing description. The components of the system may perform variousoperations, functions, or actions as illustrated by one or more ofblocks 10, 20 and 30 in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, a connection request message is sent from first user10 to second user 20 via online service server 30 regarding an onlineservice. In one example, the online service can include, but is notlimited to, a social network service, a blog service, a micro-blogservice, etc. The social network service is broadly described as anyservice that allows a user of the service to share personal informationor content with other users of the service. First user 10 and seconduser 20 can create respective personalized accounts for the onlineservice.

In one example, when first user 10 sends a connection request message tosecond user 20 in order that first user 10 and second user 20 may havefuller or customized access to posts related to the other's personalizedaccount, the same or customized access to the posts related to thepersonalized account for first user 10 that is accorded to authorizedcontacts of first user 10 on the online service can be provided tosecond user 20. That is, the posts related to first user 10 can bereleased to second user 20, for a certain period of time after theconnection request has been sent.

An authorized contact can characterize a particular relationship betweenusers on the online service that is established when a user sends aconnection request message to another user and the other user acceptsthe connection request message. The posts may include at least one of animage, a video, an audio file, a text message, a profile change, astatus change, an indication of activity, a rating of a previouslygenerated post, and the like. The posts related to the personalizedaccount for first user 10 may include, for example, the posts uploadedby first user 10, comments written by first user 10 with regard to otheruser's posts, the posts that were generated on other user's personalizedpage and linked to the personalized page of first user 10, andindications generated by online service server 30 such as a statuschange, a profile change, or an indication of activity of first user 10or authorized contacts, and the like. A rating of one of such posts mayinclude an indication of a favorable reception by a viewer of arespective post.

In one example, releasing of the posts related to first user 10 foraccess by second user 20 lasts for a certain period of time. The certainperiod of time can be defined in many ways. By way of example, thecertain period of time can be defined as a period of time that startswhen second user 20 receives the connection request message, a period oftime that starts when second user 20 starts to access one or more poststhat are originally revealed to the first user's authorized contacts, ora period of time that starts when first user 10 sends the connectionrequest message to second user 20, as will be further discussed later.

Referring to FIG. 1, second user 20, who received the connection requestmessage from first user 10, can be authorized to access the postsrelated to first user 10 for the certain period of time. Among otherpurposes, this initial authorization of access may allow second user 20to get more detailed information about first user 10 who sent theconnection request message so that second user 20 may determine whetheror not to accept the connection request message from first user 10.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method forprocessing a connection request message by an online service server 30,arranged in accordance with some of the embodiments described in thepresent disclosure. FIG. 2 also shows how messages are processed andtransmitted between first user 10 and second user 20 through onlineservice server 30. The processing flow includes sub-processes executedby various components that are part of first user 10, second user 20,and online service server 30. However, the processing flow is notlimited to such components, as obvious modifications may be made byre-ordering two or more of the sub-processes described here, eliminatingat least one of the sub-processes, adding further sub-processes,substituting components, or even having various components assumingsub-processing roles accorded to other components in the followingdescription. Processing flow may include various operations, functions,or actions as illustrated by one or more of blocks S20, S22, S24, andS26, and one or more of arrows S21, S23, S25, and S27. Processing maybegin at block S20.

Referring to FIG. 2, a connection request message can be generated fromthe personalized account for first user 10 at (S20). The processingcontinues from (S20) to (S21). The generated connection request messageis sent to the personalized account for second user 20 through onlineservice server 30 at (S21). The processing continues from (S21) to(S22). When the connection request message is received in thepersonalized account for second user 20 at (S22), the processingcontinues from (S22) to (S23). A first verification message can begenerated from the personalized account for second user 20 and is sentfrom second user 20 to first user 10 via online service server 30 at(S23). The first verification message can indicate that the connectionrequest message is received by second user 20. By receiving the firstverification message, first user 10 can verify that second user 20 hasreceived the connection request message. The processing continues from(S23) to (S24). Then, first user 10 releases a privacy setting to seconduser 20 for a certain period of time at (S24). The processing continuesfrom (S24) to (S25). The privacy setting provides second user 20 withaccess to the posts related to first user 10 at (S25) that is otherwiseaccorded to authorized contacts of first user 10 on the online service.The processing continues from (S25) to (S26). Second user 20 can accessthe posts related to first user 10 for the certain period of time at(S26). The processing continues from (S26) to (S27). When second user 20starts to access the posts related to first user 10, a secondverification message can be sent from second user 20 to first user 10 at(S27).

As a result, and as one of multiple consequences, second user 20 candetermine whether to accept the connection request message from firstuser 10 based on the information acquired from accessing the postsrelated to first user 10. As described above, a less-than-full level ofaccess to the posts related to the personalized account for first user10 can be provided to second user 20. That is, the access to the postsrelated to the personalized account for first user 10 can be providedfor a certain period of time. The certain period of time can be definedto protect the privacy of first user 10 and it can be implemented invarious manners as will be further illustrated and describedhereinafter.

In one example, the certain period of time can start when the connectionrequest message is verified as having been received on the personalizedaccount for second user 20 (for example, from when the firstverification message is sent (S23) in FIG. 2). If the connection requestmessage is not accepted before the lapse of a certain amount of timeafter the connection request message is verified as having been receivedon the personalized account for second user 20, the right to access theposts would be revoked to protect the privacy of first user 10. In thiscase, for example, the certain period of time may be a day (24 hours),or less or more than a day.

In another example, the certain period of time can start when the postsrelated to the personalized account for first user 10 are verified ashaving been accessed on the personalized account for second user 20 (forexample, from when the second verification message is sent (S27) in FIG.2). If the connection request message is not accepted before the lapseof a certain amount of time after the posts related to the personalizedaccount for first user 10 are verified as having been accessed on thepersonalized account for second user 20, the right to access the postswould be revoked to protect the privacy of first user 10. In this case,for example, the certain period of time may extend from several minutesto tens of minutes.

In another example, the certain period of time can start when theconnection request message is sent to the personalized account forsecond user 20 (for example, from when the connection request message issent (S21) in FIG. 2). If the connection request message was sent tosecond user 20 for a period of time beyond the certain amount of time,but the connection request message has not still been accepted, theright to access the posts would be revoked to protect the privacy offirst user 10. In this case, for example, the certain period of time mayextend from a week to several weeks.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a processing flow forprocessing a connection request message, arranged in accordance with atleast some embodiments described in the present disclosure. Theprocessing flow includes sub-processes executed by various componentsthat are part of first user 10, second user 20, and online serviceserver 30. However, the processing flow is not limited to suchcomponents, as obvious modifications may be made by re-ordering two ormore of the sub-processes described here, eliminating at least one ofthe sub-processes, adding further sub-processes, substitutingcomponents, or even having various components assuming sub-processingroles accorded to other components in the following description.Processing flow may include various operations, functions, or actions asillustrated by one or more of blocks S30, S31, S32, S33, S34, and S35.The processing flow may start at S30.

As shown in FIG. 3, a connection request message is generated from apersonalized account for first user 10 at (S30). The processing flow canproceed from (S30) to (S31). The connection request message is sent tosecond user 20 at (S31) via online service server 30. The processingflow can proceed from (S31) to (S32). Then, first user 10 providessecond user 20 an access to the posts related to first user 10 that areotherwise accorded to authorized contacts of first user 10 at (S32). Theprocessing flow can proceed from (S32) to (S33). After starting theprovision of the posts related to first user 10 to second user 20,online service server 30 determines if the certain period of time haselapsed (S33). The processing flow can proceed from (S33) to (S34). Ifit is determined that the certain period of time has not elapsed, theprocedure proceeds to determine if the connection request message isaccepted by second user 20 at (S34). If it is determined that theconnection request message is accepted by second user 20 at (S34), theprocessing flow ends. Otherwise, the processing flow can proceed from(S34) to (S35). If it is determined that the connection request messageis not accepted by second user 20 at (S34), the processing flow proceedsto discontinue providing an access to the posts related to first user 10to second user 20 at (S35), and therefore second user 20 can no longeraccess the posts related to first user 10. The processing flow can alsoproceed from (S33) to (S35). If it is determined that the certain periodof time has elapsed at (S33), the processing flow proceeds directly todiscontinue providing an access to posts related to first user 10 tosecond user 20 at (S35).

FIGS. 4A through 4C are timelines, each of which showing an example of acertain period of time to provide posts related to first user 10 tosecond user 20, arranged in accordance with at least some embodimentsdescribed in the present disclosure. In FIGS. 4A through 4C, ‘40, 40′and 40″’ respectively refer to a time when the connection requestmessage is sent to the personalized account for second user 20, ‘41, 41′and 41″’ respectively refer to a time when the connection requestmessage is verified as having been received on the personalized accountfor second user 20, ‘42, 42′ and 42″’ respectively refer to a time whenthe posts related to the personalized account for first user 10 areverified as having been accessed on the personalized account for seconduser 20, and ‘43, 43′ and 43″’ respectively refer to a time when theprovision of posts related to first user 10 to second user 20 isdiscontinued.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example of a timeline that the certain period oftime to provide posts related to first user 10 to second user 20 startswhen the connection request message is verified as having been receivedon the personalized account for second user 20 (i.e., at 41 of thetimeline shown in FIG. 4A). If the connection request message is notaccepted before the lapse of a certain amount of time after theconnection request message is verified as having been received on thepersonalized account for second user 20, the provision of the postsrelated to first user 10 to second user 20 is discontinued at 43 of thetimeline to protect the privacy of first user 10.

FIG. 4B illustrates another example of a timeline that the certainperiod of time to provide posts related to first user 10 to second user20 starts when the posts related to first user 10 are verified as havingbeen accessed on the personalized account for second user 20 (i.e., at42′ of the timeline shown in FIG. 4B). If the connection request messageis not accepted before the lapse of a certain amount of time after theposts related to first user 10 are verified as having been accessed onthe personalized account for second user 20, the provision of the postsrelated to first user 10 to second user 20 is discontinued at 43′ of thetimeline to protect the privacy of first user 10.

FIG. 4C illustrates another example of a timeline that the certainperiod of time to provide posts related to first user 10 to second user20 starts when the connection request message is sent to thepersonalized account for second user 20 (i.e., at 40″ of the timelineshown in FIG. 4C). If the connection request message was sent to seconduser 20 for a period of time beyond the certain amount of time, but theconnection request message has not still been accepted, the provision ofthe posts related to first user 10 is discontinued at 43″ of thetimeline to protect the privacy of first user 10.

Comparing FIGS. 4A through 4C, as indicated by deviant crease lines ineach timeline, the certain period of time can have the shortest periodof time from ‘42′’ to ‘43′’ in FIG. 4B and the certain period of timecan have the longest period of time from ‘40″’ to ‘43″’ in FIG. 4C. Insome examples, as described above, the certain period of time from ‘41’to ‘43’ may be a day (24 hours), or less or more than a day in FIG. 4A,the certain period of time from ‘42′’ to ‘43′’ may extend from severalminutes to tens of minutes in FIG. 4B, and the certain period of timefrom ‘40″’ to ‘43″’ may extend from a week to several weeks in FIG. 4C.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an example of online service server 30,arranged in accordance with some of the embodiments described in thepresent disclosure. Online service server 30 may include a processor 510and a database 520. Processor 510 may include a processing module 530and a determining module 540.

In one example, processing module 530 can be configured to send aconnection request message that originates from a personalized accountfor first user 10 to a personalized account for second user 20, and toprovide a certain threshold of access to posts related to thepersonalized account for first user 10 to the personalized account forsecond user 20 for a certain period of time. Processing module 530 canbe further configured to discontinue providing of the certain thresholdof access to the posts related to the personalized account for firstuser 10 to the personalized account for second user 20.

Determining module 540 can be configured to determine if the certainperiod of time has elapsed. If determining module 540 determines thatthe certain period of time has not elapsed, determining module 540 canfurther determine if the connection request message has been accepted bysecond user 20. If determining module 540 determines that the connectionrequest message has not been accepted by second user 20, processingmodule 530 discontinues providing access to the posts related to firstuser 10 to second user 20. If determining module 540 determines that thecertain period of time has elapsed without the connection requestmessage having been accepted, processing module 530 discontinuesproviding an access to the posts related to first user 10 to second user20.

Database 520 may be configured to store information which is required tomanage the online service. For example, database 520 can store, but isnot limited to, user information, posts uploaded by users, a listing ofauthorized contacts of users and/or policies defined by a serviceprovider of the online service or users.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device 600that is configured for processing a connection request in an onlineservice, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments describedin the present disclosure. In a very basic configuration 602, computingdevice 600 typically includes one or more processors 604 and a systemmemory 606. A memory bus 608 may be used for communicating betweenprocessor 604 and system memory 606.

Depending on the desired configuration, processor 604 may be of any typeincluding but not limited to a microprocessor (μP), a microcontroller(μC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or any combination thereof.Processor 604 may include one or more levels of caching, such as a levelone cache 610 and a level two cache 612, a processor core 614, andregisters 616. An example processor core 614 may include an arithmeticlogic unit (ALU), a floating point unit (FPU), a digital signalprocessing core (DSP Core), or any combination thereof. An examplememory controller 618 may also be used with processor 604, or in someimplementations memory controller 618 may be an internal part ofprocessor 604.

Depending on the desired configuration, system memory 606 may be of anytype including but not limited to volatile memory (such as RAM),non-volatile memory (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or any combinationthereof. System memory 606 may include an operating system 620, one ormore applications 622, and program data 624. Application 622 may includea connection request processing process 626 (e.g., the process forprocessing connection request for an online service described above inconjunction with the system of FIG. 1 and/or the process for processingconnection request for an online service described above in conjunctionwith the schematic diagram of FIG. 2 and the flow chart of FIG. 3) thatis arranged to process connection request for an online service. Programdata 624 may include any data that may be useful for processingconnection request for an online service, as is described herein. Insome embodiments, application 622 may be arranged to operate withprogram data 624 on operating system 620 such that a certain thresholdof access to posts related to the personalized account for first user 10is provided to the personalized account for second user 20 for a certainperiod of time. This described basic configuration 602 is illustrated inFIG. 6 by those components within the inner dashed line.

Computing device 600 may have additional features or functionality, andadditional interfaces to facilitate communications between basicconfiguration 602 and any required devices and interfaces. For example,a bus/interface controller 630 may be used to facilitate communicationsbetween basic configuration 602 and one or more data storage devices 623via a storage interface bus 634. Data storage devices 623 may beremovable storage devices 636, non-removable storage devices 638, or acombination thereof. Examples of removable storage and non-removablestorage devices include magnetic disk devices such as flexible diskdrives and hard-disk drives (HDD), optical disk drives such as compactdisk (CD) drives or digital versatile disk (DVD) drives, solid statedrives (SSD), and tape drives to name a few. Example computer storagemedia may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removablemedia implemented in any method or technology for storage ofinformation, such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data.

System memory 606, removable storage devices 636 and non-removablestorage devices 638 are examples of computer storage media. Computerstorage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD)or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other mediumwhich may be used to store the desired information and which may beaccessed by computing device 600. Any such computer storage media may bepart of computing device 600.

Computing device 600 may also include an interface bus 640 forfacilitating communication from various interface devices (e.g., outputdevices 642, peripheral interfaces 644, and communication devices 646)to basic configuration 602 via bus/interface controller 630. Exampleoutput devices 642 include a graphics processing unit 648 and an audioprocessing unit 650, which may be configured to communicate to variousexternal devices such as a display or speakers via one or more A/V ports652. Example peripheral interfaces 644 include a serial interfacecontroller 654 or a parallel interface controller 656, which may beconfigured to communicate with external devices such as input devices(e.g., keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device,etc.) or other peripheral devices (e.g., printer, scanner, etc.) via oneor more I/O ports 658. An example communication device 646 includes anetwork controller 660, which may be arranged to facilitatecommunications with one or more other computing devices 662 over anetwork communication link via one or more communication ports 664.

The network communication link may be one example of a communicationmedia. Communication media may typically be embodied by computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other datain a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism, and may include any information delivery media. A “modulateddata signal” may be a signal that has one or more of its characteristicsset or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal.By way of example, and not limitation, communication media may includewired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, andwireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), microwave,infrared (IR) and other wireless media. The term computer readable mediaas used herein may include both storage media and communication media.

Computing device 600 may be implemented as a portion of a small-formfactor portable (or mobile) electronic device such as a cell phone, apersonal data assistant (PDA), a personal media player device, awireless web-watch device, a personal headset device, an applicationspecific device, or a hybrid device that include any of the abovefunctions. Computing device 600 may also be implemented as a personalcomputer including both laptop computer and non-laptop computerconfigurations.

A storage medium device having computer readable instructions embodiedtherewith is provided. The computer readable instructions, when executedon computing device 600, cause computing device 600 to perform themethod to process a connection request in an online service, as isdescribed herein.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particularembodiments described in this application, which are intended asillustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations canbe made without departing from its spirit and scope, as will be apparentto those skilled in the art. Functionally equivalent methods andapparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to thoseenumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from theforegoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intendedto fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosureis to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along withthe full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It isto be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particularmethods, reagents, compounds compositions or biological systems, whichcan, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminologyused herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodimentsonly, and is not intended to be limiting.

There is little distinction left between hardware and softwareimplementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware or softwareis generally (but not always, in that in certain contexts the choicebetween hardware and software can become significant) a design choicerepresenting cost vs. efficiency tradeoffs. There are various vehiclesby which processes and/or systems and/or other technologies describedherein can be effected (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware), andthat the preferred vehicle will vary with the context in which theprocesses and/or systems and/or other technologies are deployed. Forexample, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy areparamount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmwarevehicle; if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for amainly software implementation; or, yet again alternatively, theimplementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/orfirmware.

The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments ofthe devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts,and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/orexamples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will beunderstood by those within the art that each function and/or operationwithin such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented,individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software,firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment,several portions of the subject matter described herein may beimplemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), orother integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art willrecognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, inwhole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integratedcircuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or morecomputers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computersystems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors(e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors),as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designingthe circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and/or firmwarewould be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light ofthis disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capableof being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, andthat an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described hereinapplies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium usedto actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearingmedium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable typemedium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a CD, a DVD, a digitaltape, a computer memory, etc.; and a transmission type medium such as adigital and/or an analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber opticcable, a waveguide, a wired communications link, a wirelesscommunication link, etc.).

Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the artto describe devices and/or processes in the fashion set forth herein,and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such describeddevices and/or processes into data processing systems. That is, at leasta portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can beintegrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount ofexperimentation. Those having skill in the art will recognize that atypical data processing system generally includes one or more of asystem unit housing, a video display device, a memory such as volatileand non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digitalsignal processors, computational entities such as operating systems,drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs, one ormore interaction devices, such as a touch pad or screen, and/or controlsystems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback forsensing position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/oradjusting components and/or quantities). A typical data processingsystem may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially availablecomponents, such as those typically found in datacomputing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems.

The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates differentcomponents contained within, or connected with, different othercomponents. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures aremerely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can beimplemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense,any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality iseffectively “associated” such that the desired functionality isachieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve aparticular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each othersuch that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective ofarchitectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components soassociated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or“operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality,and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewedas being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desiredfunctionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but arenot limited to physically mateable and/or physically interactingcomponents and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interactingcomponents and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactablecomponents.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particularembodiments described in this application, which are intended asillustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations canbe made without departing from its spirit and scope, as will be apparentto those skilled in the art. Functionally equivalent methods andapparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to thoseenumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from theforegoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intendedto fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosureis to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along withthe full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It isto be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particularmethods, reagents, compounds compositions or biological systems, whichcan, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminologyused herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodimentsonly, and is not intended to be limiting.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments ofthe present disclosure have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, and that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.Accordingly, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intendedto be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by thefollowing claims.

We claim:
 1. A method to process a connection request in an onlineservice, the method comprising: receiving, by one or more servers of theonline service, a connection request message from a first user using afirst computing device, wherein the connection request message includesa connection request to connect to a second user in the online service;sending, by the one or more servers of the online service, theconnection request message to the second user using a second computingdevice; providing, to the second user by the one or more servers of theonline service, access to one or more posts related to the first user,wherein the one or more posts related to the first user are accessibleby one or more authorized contacts of the first user; determining, bythe one or more servers of the online service, if the connection requesthas been accepted by the second user, wherein the second user becomesone of the one or more authorized contacts of the first user byacceptance of the connection request; in response to a determinationthat the connection request has not been accepted by the second user,determining, by the one or more servers of the online service, if acertain period of time has elapsed subsequent to the providing theaccess to the one or more posts related to the first user to the seconduser, wherein the determining if the certain period of time has elapsedincludes determining whether a certain period of time that starts whenthe connection request message is sent to the second user has elapsed;and in response to a determination that the certain period of time haselapsed subsequent to the providing the access to the one or more postsrelated to the first user to the second user, discontinuing, by the oneor more servers of the online service, the providing the access to theone or more posts related to the first user to the second user.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the online service includes a social networkservice.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the connectionrequest message includes receiving a friend request message.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the determining if the certain period of timehas elapsed includes determining whether a certain period of time thatextends from minutes to weeks has elapsed.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the providing access to the one or more posts related to thefirst user includes providing access to one or more images, one or morevideos, one or more audio files, or one or more text messages.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the providing access to the one or more postsrelated to the first user includes providing access to a profile change,a status change, a rating, an indication of an activity, or a comment.7. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the access to the one ormore posts related to the first user includes providing a customizedaccess for the second user.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: sending, by the one or more servers of the online service, averification message to the first user indicating that at least one ofthe one or more posts related to the first user is accessed by thesecond user.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the accessto the one or more posts comprises: providing, to the second user and inresponse to the sending of the connection request message, the access tothe one or more posts related to the first user for the certain periodof time.
 10. A method to process a connection request in an onlineservice, the method comprising: receiving, by one or more servers of theonline service, a connection request message from a first user using afirst computing device, wherein the connection request message includesa connection request to connect to a second user using a secondcomputing device in the online service; sending, by the one or moreservers of the online service, the connection request message to thesecond user; providing, to the second user by the one or more servers ofthe online service, access to one or more posts related to the firstuser, wherein the one or more posts related to the first user areaccessible by one or more authorized contacts of the first user;determining, by the one or more servers of the online service, if theconnection request has been accepted by the second user, wherein thesecond user becomes one of the one or more authorized contacts of thefirst user by acceptance of the connection request; in response to adetermination that the connection request has not been accepted by thesecond user, determining, by the one or more servers of the onlineservice, if a certain period of time has elapsed subsequent to theproviding the access to the one or more posts related to the first userto the second user, wherein the determining if the certain period oftime has elapsed includes determining whether a certain period of timethat starts when at least one of the one or more posts related to thefirst user is accessed by the second user has elapsed; and in responseto a determination that the certain period of time has elapsedsubsequent to the providing the access to the one or more posts relatedto the first user to the second user, discontinuing, by the one or moreservers of the online service, the providing the access to the one ormore posts related to the first user to the second user.
 11. A system toprocess a connection request in an online service, the systemcomprising: a processor, wherein the processor is configured to:identify a connection request message from a first user of the onlineservice, wherein the connection request message includes a connectionrequest to connect to a second user of the online service, and whereinthe first user is a user of a first computing device and the second useris a user of a second computing device; send the connection requestmessage to the second user; allow the second user to access one or moreposts related to the first user, wherein one or more authorized contactsof the first user are allowed to access the one or more posts related tothe first user; determine if the connection request has been accepted bythe second user, wherein the second user becomes one of the one or moreauthorized contacts of the first user by acceptance of the connectionrequest; in response to a determination that the connection request hasnot been accepted by the second user, determine if a certain period oftime has elapsed subsequent to the allowance of the second user toaccess the one or more posts related to the first user, wherein thecertain period of time starts when the connection request message issent to the second user; and in response to a determination that thecertain period of time has elapsed subsequent to the allowance of thesecond user to access the one or more posts related to the first user,prevent access, by the second user, to the one or more posts related tothe first user.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: send the first user a verification message toindicate that the connection request message is received by the seconduser.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: send the first user a verification message to indicatethat at least one of the one or more posts related to the first user isaccessed by the second user.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein theprocessor is configured to: allow, in response to the connection requestmessage being sent, the second user to access the one or more postsrelated to the first user for the certain period of time.
 15. A systemto process a connection request in an online service, the systemcomprising: a processor, wherein the processor is configured to:identify a connection request message from a first user of the onlineservice, wherein the connection request message includes a connectionrequest to connect to a second user of the online service, wherein thefirst user is a user of a first computing device and the second user isa user of a second computing device; send the connection request messageto the second user; allow the second user to access one or more postsrelated to the first user, wherein one or more authorized contacts ofthe first user are allowed to access the one or more posts related tothe first user; determine if the connection request has been accepted bythe second user, wherein the second user becomes one of the one or moreauthorized contacts of the first user by acceptance of the connectionrequest; in response to a determination that the connection request hasnot been accepted by the second user, determine if a certain period oftime has elapsed subsequent to the allowance of the second user toaccess the one or more posts related to the first user, wherein thecertain period of time starts when at least one of the one or more postsrelated to the first user is accessed by the second user; and inresponse to a determination that the certain period of time has elapsedsubsequent to the allowance of the second user to access the one or moreposts related to the first user, prevent access, by the second user, tothe one or more posts related to the first user.
 16. A non-transitorycomputer-readable memory having stored thereon a plurality ofcomputer-executable instructions, that in response to execution, causeone or more processors to perform or cause to be performed operationscomprising: identify a connection request message from a first user ofan online service, wherein the connection request message includes aconnection request to connect to a second user of the online service,wherein the first user is a user of a first computing device and thesecond user is a user of a second computing device; send the connectionrequest message to the second user; in response to the connectionrequest message being sent to the second user, provide access to one ormore posts related to the first user to the second user for a certainperiod of time, wherein the one or more posts related to the first userare accessible by one or more authorized contacts of the first user;determine if the connection request has been accepted by the seconduser, wherein the second user becomes one of the one or more authorizedcontacts of the first user by acceptance of the connection request; inresponse to a determination that the connection request has not beenaccepted by the second user, determine if the certain period of time haselapsed subsequent to the access to the one or more posts related to thefirst user being provided to the second user; and in response to adetermination that the certain period of time has elapsed subsequent tothe access to the one or more posts related to the first user beingprovided to the second user, discontinue the access to the one or moreposts related to the first user from being provided to the second user,wherein the certain period of time starts from a time at least one ofwhen the connection request message is sent to the second user or whenat least one of the one or more posts related to the first user isaccessed by the second user.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readablememory of claim 16, wherein the online service includes a social networkservice or a blog service.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readablememory of claim 16, wherein the one or more posts related to the firstuser include one or more images, one or more videos, one or more audiofiles, one or more text messages, a profile change, a status change, arating, an indication of an activity, or a comment.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable memory of claim 16, wherein to provideaccess to the one or more posts related to the first user to the seconduser, the computer-executable instructions include at least onecomputer-executable instruction, which in response to execution, causethe one or more processors to perform or cause to be performed at leastone operation that includes: provide, to the second user, a less thanfull level of access to the one or more posts related to the first user,wherein the less than full level of access is customized for the seconduser.